continent
Americas
Distances decide everything: pick one country and one or two regions; in the US and Canada the car and the domestic flight are the trip's spine.
The Americas are two continents of long distances. First trips fail by stringing coast-to-coast cities with one-night stops. North America runs on rental cars and domestic flights with electronic entry authorisations; Latin America runs on buses, domestic flights and altitude, with a very different safety and cash picture city by city.
Choose in one line
I already know the country
Country pages open when a first city passes its airport-to-bed gates.
I think in road trips
Road-trip corridors (US West, Canadian Rockies) are planned.
Countries
North America
Car or domestic flights; national parks need reservations in peak season.
City bases + national-park road trips
7–14 nights · JFK · LAX · SFO
Vancouver/Rockies or Toronto/Montréal
7–10 nights · YVR · YYZ
Mexico City + Oaxaca/Yucatán
7–12 nights · MEX · CUN
South America
Altitude, long bus rides and cash; fly the long legs.
Lima–Cusco–Machu Picchu
8–12 nights · LIM
Buenos Aires + Patagonia by air
10–14 nights · EZE
Rio + one region
8–12 nights · GRU · GIG
Seasons at a glance
| Where | Best | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| US & Canada | May–Jun, Sep–Oct | Park crowds Jul–Aug; winter road closures |
| Mexico | Nov–Apr | Sep–Oct hurricanes on the coasts |
| Andes | May–Sep (dry season) | Jan–Feb rains (Inca Trail closed in Feb) |
| Patagonia | Nov–Mar | Jun–Aug winter |
Friction everywhere
- US: many visitors need an ESTA before boarding; Canada: eTA for visa-exempt air travellers — use the official government sites only.
- Driving distances look short on maps; plan by hours, not kilometres.
- High altitude (Cusco, La Paz, Quito): build a slow first day.
- Cash, card acceptance and neighbourhood safety vary sharply by city in Latin America.
Hub airports: JFK · LAX · ATL · YYZ · MEX · BOG · LIM · GRU
Sources
- US — ESTA (official) (official)
- Canada — eTA (official) (official)